Schnell on Wheels: The Audi RS 3 Performance Edition Will Be the Fastest RS 3 Ever
The Audi RS 3 Performance Edition will be limited to just 300 examples, and none of them will be coming to the United States.
Audi recently announced that they will be building a new RS 3 Performance Edition with more power and a higher top speed. Only 300 of these special cars will be made. The bad news is that none of the 300 RS 3 Performance Edition cars will be sold in the U.S. The good news is that we kinda already have it. The RS 3 Performance Edition will pack 401 horsepower. For those of you paying attention you may think that is not news as the RS 3 already makes 401 horsepower. Yes, it does here in the U.S., but the regular European-spec RS 3 has to make do with only 394 horsepower. So, the Performance Edition does offer a slight bump for our European friends but is no more powerful than the U.S.-spec car.
However, the RS 3 Performance Edition does have a couple of goodies that we can’t get here in the land of the free. Probably the top goodie we would love to have is the Sportback version of the car. In Europe the RS 3 and the RS 3 Performance Edition are available in a fantastic hatchback body style. We get only the sedan. But before we get too sad about that, let’s take a closer look at what makes the Performance Edition special.
Lucky 300
Not sure what the connection is between Audi and the number 300, but that number just keeps popping up when describing the RS 3 Performance Edition. As we mentioned there will only be 300 examples made. Additionally, the top speed of the car is raised to 300 kph. That is 186 mph, or 6 mph faster than a U.S. car equipped with the Dynamic Plus Package. When you unlock the Performance Edition the digital daytime running light, consisting of 15 LED segments, displays the “checkered flag” on the passenger side and the “3‑0-0” on the driver side. If you were hoping that Audi would only charge $300 for it, no such luck. Prices start at € 75,000 as a Sportback and € 77,000 as a Sedan. That is roughly $73,900 and $75,900 at current exchange rates.
More Performance
Power for the Performance Edition may not be more than on the version we get here, but the tires are upgraded as well. The Performance Edition will come standard with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires (optional on U.S. cars). These tires are much more track oriented than the standard Pirelli P Zero rubber on the base car. These special tires are wrapped around special wheels as well. The Performance Edition car comes with 19-inch cast aluminum wheels finished in a dark gray matte with RS branding. The standard RS sports exhaust has been tweaked with a modified center silencer in the Performance Edition.
More Style
The RS 3 Performance Edition can be painted Nogaro Blue, Arrow Gray, Daytona Gray, Sebring Black Crystal Effect or Glacier White Metallic. Inside, bucket seats are standard with contrasting blue honeycomb stitching. The blue theme continues throughout the interior. The seat belts are blue. Contrast stitching on the center armrest, the door armrests, and the steering wheel are also in blue. The flat-bottom Alcantara steering wheel has a 12 o’clock marking that is also in blue.
Coming Soon
The RS 3 Performance Edition is expected to be delivered beginning in early 2023. That is just a few months away, so if you want one to keep at your vacation home near Lake Constance you better get a move on. We suspect that these 300 cars will sell out quickly.
Images: Audi
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